Guiding Light Discussion Thread

[cassadine1991]

I would’ve rather seen her as Ashley or Jennifer than Stephanie Cameron and Shari Shattuck

[kalbir]

I think Kimberley Simms (born 1963) was a little too old for Jennifer (would have replaced Melissa Reeves (born 1967)) but the right age for Ashley (would have replaced Brenda Epperson (born 1965)). If Y&R casted her, the bigger question is if she would have passed the chemistry tests with Don Diamont and/or Eric Braeden.

Edited April 12 by kalbir

[P.J.]

I'm a little surprised that Simms is only four years younger than Eileen Davidson--but, there's no way Eric Braeden wouldn't have looked like he robbed the cradle opposite her. It was bad enough with Zaslow.

[DRW50]

At that time, Ashley was not involved with Victor anyway. I have a feeling whoever was playing Ashley in 1999 would have been fired to make way for Eileen's return. Simms would have done a better job than Shattuck, but Bell by that time didn't have much interest in Ashley. 

[Speed Racer]

Simms embodied the term "sex kitten" without trying.  It's who she was.   And it's a key reason why successfully recasting Mindy once Simms left was quite difficult.  How do you find a smarter, wiser sex kitten to follow in Simms shoes, or how do you rewrite Mindy as a "somewhat" post sex-kitten entity?  Really tough to do. 

The writers tried that latter when they hired Hamilton.  The apparent attempt was to rewrite Mindy as a wronged innocent.  Wrong move.  Hamilton failed because she herself wasn't anything like Simms (Hamilton may have been better as Lucy Cooper - don't know).   Crampton failed not because she couldn't act, but because she wasn't Mindy.  Others here have said the same, and I agree.   Crampton also failed because the writers thought beating the Mindy/Nick/Alex horse to death was a good idea.

There's plenty of sexy women out there, but that's not what I'm talking about here.

Lenore Kasdorf and Maureen Garrett both had sex kitten qualities and tons of sex appeal, but were sexy women, not sex kittens.

A shame that Alexandra Neil had already been on Guiding Light as Rose.  She MIGHT have been able to successfully portray a post-Simms Mindy.  A post sex-kitten.  Definitely would have been worth a screen test.   A very likable actress, and naturally so.

 

 

 

 

No other woman on Guiding Light came close to Simms in that regard.  Other women on Guiding Light were 

[chrisml]

Simms would have been great in so many roles. I can't keep track of bts romances, but were Simms and VI broken up by the time she left? I also know that she spoke out about not liking the way her character was written in the last few months of her time on the show. I'm kind of Locher Roomed out at the moment as I've gone back and listened to some of the GL interviews, but I may go back and listen to her portions to see what she says about her departure. I do remember she was very kind towards and appreciative of Krista Tesreau's portrayal of Mindy. 

[DRW50]

I may be wrong, but I think they broke up after she left.

I thought Neil was a likeable actress who often got cast in dud parts (although I know many loved her on Texas - I haven't seen a lot of her on there). I appreciated her work on ATWT as Dawn.

What made Simms work so well in the part was she was able to play sexy but also vulnerable. She was able to play a heart in the character. That was something the show took for granted...and it was something the show struggled with in many younger women they cast. They should have fought much harder for her to stay, if only JFP hadn't been so arrogant.  

[cassadine1991]

It’s a shame that she wasn’t hired on other soaps after her GL visit in ‘97

[Franko]

I'll have to re-read the They Almost Became thread, but I think Simms was one of the names considered for Passions (as Sheridan, I assume, or would she have been more likely for Ivy?).

Edited April 13 by Franko

[Khan]

IMO, Kimberley Simms would've been wonderful on KNOTS LANDING, perhaps as an old friend of Paige's (Nicollette Sheridan) who makes a play for Greg (William Devane) when she thinks Paige isn't interested.

[Soaplovers]

Simms, like Melanie Smith of ATWT fame, had this ability to be sensual and tortured at the same time.  Both women would have thrived in the 1940s during the film noir era as the femme fatale and/or anti heroine.

Both actresses made their characters on GL and ATWT so distinctive/memorable that it was virtually impossible to recast both parts.

I'm still confused as to what the show was going for when Ann Hamilton was cast as Mindy.  Her Mindy seemed like an Annie Oakley type with a bit of the spoiled/princess vibe that Krista T played... but without the sensual/tortured vibe of Simms.   Barbara C was known for playing quirky and comedic characters.. but her Mindy was almost too mature and angry.

[TheyStartedOnSoaps]

Fun fact - Krista Teserau was up for the part of Gloria on All My Children. It came down between her and Teresa Blake. We all know that Teresa Blake got the part, and the word was that Krista wasn't sensual and tortured that the character Gloria needed to be.

Years later Krista AMC screentest landed on the desk of OLTL casting director, and they hired her for the recast part of Tina. No audition necessary as it was a straight forward offer, based strictly on her screentest for Gloria.  

 

Edited April 13 by TheyStartedOnSoaps

[P.J.]

Tomboy Mindy? Krista's Mindy was a little fighter, but that was always played for laughs (when she takes a swipe at Phillip at the Masked Ball and Rick pulls her away like a little cotton ball, or the knockdowns with Roxie). I don't even get a spoiled princess vibe from Hamilton. Its  like no one told her anything about Mindy's history and she just played it like Mindy was returning like any run-of-the-mill teenage runaway.

[chrisml]

I will never understand how the execs hit the jackpot twice with Mindy (Tesrau and Simms) and then failed so miserably afterwards that they just didn't even bother after that. It was obvious from her Locher interview that Crampton had no clue what she was doing at GL and who Mindy was. Her confusion seems to have played out in her performance based on the little I've seen (which is not much) and from others have said. Hamilton got slaughtered in the soap press, but I don't think it's her fault. She didn't have a character to play; how do you make something work when there's nothing on the page?

[P.J.]

I admit, I don't understand casting Hamilton at all, although in retrospect, I think she could've made it work if a) they'd given her more time and b ) not forced Mindy back into the pairing with Nick. VI doesn't have chemistry with either woman, tbh. 

Hiring Crampton was obviously just to bring in a name. She looked like she should be dating Josh, not calling him Uncle. I don't think Crampton's energy fit the show somehow.